2026 BMW iX3 revealed – the Neue Klasse era begins with a big gaudy SUV

This is it – BMW’s electric future. ‘Heart of Joy’-powered dynamics, Neue Klasse styling and all. The importance of the new BMW iX3 shouldn’t be underestimated. Even though it’s another electric SUV, it’s the pudding within which we hope to find proof, of whether BMW’s chest-beating over its revolutionary sixth-generation EV tech is justified.

A good number to start with is range, given the iX3 will be the longest-range battery electric vehicle on sale at launch. By the WLTP numbers the iX3 in 50 xDrive spec should be good for 500 miles of range. That comes from a 108.7kW (useable) battery which features new cylindrical cells that are 20 per cent more energy-dense. The battery itself is structurally integrated into the platform, reducing weight and costs, and can be charged 30 per cent more quickly than the previous-generation battery.

That reduction in charging time (it can charge at up to 400kW, at which speed 231 miles of range is added in 10 minutes) is also helped along by the new 800-volt electrical architecture. This also informs the iX3’s ability to bi-directionally charge, allowing you to juice up your mate’s car at a rate of 22kW. Given the range in the iX3, doing so shouldn’t make their range anxiety your own.

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Also helping the range figure is a hefty 40 per cent reduction in energy losses and nominally, a ten per cent drop in weight compared to fifth-generation eDrive technology. Helping BMW’s margins is a 20 per cent drop in manufacturing costs. Neue Klasse seems to be living up to the hype so far…

In terms of power and performance, there’s a new intelligent xDrive AWD system using new electric motors – an electrically excited synchronous motor at the rear and a compact asynchronous motor at the front – also helping towards that loss reduction figure. Together they produce 463bhp and 476lb ft, allowing for a 0-62mph time of 4.9sec. Top speed is limited to 130mph.

Running it all are four ‘superbrains’ (BMW talk for a high-performance computer). One of them is the much-lauded ‘Heart of Joy’, set to rationalise control of components pertaining to the dynamics that would previously have had their own control systems. Instead the integrated controller is responsible for looking after the drive system, brakes, charging, energy regeneration and steering. 

Working with the new Dynamic Performance Control software, speed of computing pertaining to the car’s dynamics is improved by ten per cent. A version of this system, no doubt juiced-up even further, will run the ones and zeroes behind the driving dynamics of the forthcoming all-electric BMW M3, which we understand will be sold alongside a combustion counterpart for the foreseeable when it debuts.

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There are three other ‘superbrains’ – one for automated driving (self parking, driver assistance et al), another for interior infotainment and another for comfort functions (climate and seat controls).

2025 BMW iX3 key advancements

• 40 per cent reduction in energy losses
• 30 per cent increase in peak charging speed
• 20 per cent drop in manufacturing costs
• 10 per cent reduction in weight

A whole ‘superbrain’ for iDrive, you ask? Why yes as in the new iX3, we’re a little bit beyond click wheels and touch screens. Welcome BMW Panoramic iDrive with Panoramic Vision, which turns the whole black area we often see at the bottom of windscreens into its own display, for the width of the cabin. That effectively takes the place of what you’d traditionally call a driver’s display, is customisable and works with BMW’s new trapezoidal central display, which aside from the odd shape and huge size is where you’d expect to find it. 

The steering wheel which BMW encouragingly calls ‘the primary physical control unit’ is a two-spoker (at 12 and 6 o’clock) with spurs on the side featuring buttons, though these are textured and haptic rather than traditionally clicky. There are physical controls for volume, drive selection, windscreen wipers, indicators, hazards, mirrors and window heating.

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Everything else is in the screen. Climate included, which is where you’ll find it in current-generation BMW’s, in the bottom corners of the infotainment display. Along the driver’s side, quickselect widgets mean your most used functions are there to hand at all times. The whole system is powered by BMW OS X. There’s plenty of ambient lighting including backlit fabrics on the dash and everything inside looks to be of a high quality. If this is to follow in the iX’s footsteps, it should feel quality too. If you run out of boot space, that compact front motor means there’s a small cubby in the frunk, where the travel cables will ordinarily live.

> The BMW M3 is going electric – test mules spied on the road

Okay, the elephant in the room. The design. Neue Klasse represents a simplification of BMW design language, so in theory, no more massive kidney grilles, no more over complication or excess aggression. These elements we know to be an improvement from the concepts and that is largely the case for this production iX3. But it’s still an iX3, so it’s still a big lumpen SUV. 

There’s still a bit too much going on for some tastes, not to mention too many lit-up bits that aren’t the actual lights, but it is an easier car to look at than the controversial iX and XM. We’ll reserve definitive judgement on whether the Neue Klasse fantasy has successfully translated to the real world for when we see the next 3-series.

BMW iX3 – price and on sale date

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Even if the looks still aren’t to all tastes, the tech and results are certainly impressive. So how much will it all cost? The iX3 50 xDrive, the only model revealed so far, will go on sale at £58,755. Not bad, though that’s for the base specification, with iX3 M Sport and iX3 M Sport Pro no doubt costing more. 

Entry-level trim should be well-equipped enough though – six-way adjustable heated front seats, wireless phone charging and so on. M Sport adds 20-inch wheels, bigger brakes, more aggressive styling and PerformTex interior trim. M Sport Pro brings all the toys – 10-way adjustable seats, the ‘Shadowline Glass’ 3D kidney grille with the irritating added lighting and adaptive LED lights. The Tech Plus pack including the 3D head-up display, Harman Kardon sound system and three-zone climate control will be popular. Adaptive M Suspension sounds worth a punt too. First deliveries are set to begin on 7 March 2026.

BMW iX3 specs